Album of the Year 2016 #12: Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year 2016 #12: Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP - HipHop

Album of the Year 2016 #12: Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP - HipHop

Album of the Year 2016 #12: Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

Posted: 17 Jan 2017 08:44 PM PST

Artist: Schoolboy Q

Album: Blank Face LP

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Album Background

Schoolboy Q is a member of Top Dawg Entertainment, and one of the main four of Black Hippy along with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock. Living in Los Angeles, he resided on 51st Street right alongside Figueroa and Hoover. Growing up, he was a major football player and a member of the 52nd Street Hoover Gangster Crips (one of the major reasons he capitalizes his H's, which I will not do in this review because I'm not a jabroni). He was one of the founding members along with Soulo and Rock since around 2006. The only really notable parts of his pre-Setbacks activities within the music scene are two mixtapes he released, which ran concurrently with a 40 Glocc beef that was short lived. In 2011, Setbacks was released, which enabled him to start seeing attention within the music industry. While a bit unpolished and hazy, Setbacks is a great first cohesive project through TDE with obvious raw potential running throughout. In 2012, he dropped Habits & Contradictions, which is considered by a good amount to be his best work, with some relatively big singles in 'Hands on the Wheel' & 'There He Go'. This is when he started to partner with Interscope and Aftermath, which he would go on to continue to work with for the years to come. Two years later, in 2014, Q released Oxymoron, with three big selling and known singles in 'Collard Greens', 'Man of the Year', and 'Studio' especially. While many fans enjoyed the harder cuts on the project, some were more critical of the poppier, more mainstream dabbling tracks that moved away from the hard, gangster persona of Habits & Contradictions. However, Q's fame was riding on the crest of the hype around TDE at the time and propelled him to the mainstream within the music industry. He then began work on Blank Face LP, which was released in mid 2016.

Album Review

Album four is really like, crippin on my minibike

I decided to do this review as a track by track, which I will then expand on more arching feelings and thoughts on the album at the end. I personally enjoy this review style a good amount, because I love to see the individual thoughts one has on certain tracks, and how they find certain moments and parts to fit into the album as a whole. This review is also going to be a lot more opinionated and passionate, because I also enjoy those kind of reviews more and I feel pretty strongly about this album. Anyway, here's Blank Face LP.

Torch

The album kicks off with a fantastic opener with Torch, a guitar driven track that builds and swells as the track goes on. When the guitar first comes in, it sounds almost as if the guitarist is warming up, with a heavy arpeggio in the baseline, which Q takes the liberty of beginning on. The first words uttered on the track after the flock of "Blank face" voices is

Trade the noise for a piece of divine

Delivered by Anderson .Paak, this line constructs the idea of wishing for more spiritual wealth than material, which runs in line with the psychedelic and more critically aware ideas presented throughout. The rock and psychedelic influences that prevail throughout the album on this track are undeniable and immediate. Anderson .Paak delivers a passionate feature to the track alongside Q (no idea why he wasn't credited), which only builds upon the atmosphere set up by Q. I fucking love this song, and think the strobe effects on the hooks to Q's voice while .Paak raps about how the life they live is not glorified, it's real and they use the drugs to escape. It's a really passionate track, with Q delivering some personal lyrics about his youth and past and how he felt then. He then expands into how he made it despite all he's been through. While this sounds like a dime a dozen topic, the way Q delivers it really pushes and delivers the sentiment with lyrics like

This that "Fuck the blogs"

The afterbell, we hang in halls

Underage, smokin' weed and alcohol

Grandma sweeped shells out the driveway

One of the homies got slayed so we bang at the King parade I can take you spots where gangsters walk

The real damus and locs, Boyz N the Hood wasn't even close

This song is fucking amazing, and unlike anything Q had ever done before instrumentally (shoutout to Nez & Rio, fantastic producers that always make magic with Q). It really sets the listener up for the influences in the album, and the sound Q is going for.

Lord Have Mercy

Another uncredited feature by Swizz Beats, along with a beat by him. Instrumentally, this fits in the psych rock influence and Swizz does fucking great job of making an eerie, brooding, hazy yet minimal beat. Q talks about the sins he's done, and while he recognizes the bad he's done he still justifies it and hopes God will forgive him. I was gonna post some lyrics from this, but I cannot because the entire verse is just so fucking good. Really, really great song that does so much with so little.

That Part (feat. Kanye West)

The big single. The first time I heard this was in the song and when the beat dropped in, it was amazing. Cardo & CuBeatz did fucking magic on this track, creating an eerie, spooky banger. Q's verses are great, and then there's the Kanye feature, which just exists. Everyone has an opinion on this feature, so I'll just say that I enjoy it a good amount. It's obviously a sort of show song, and the Kanye feature garnered a lot of attention to the project which is good. However, this song REALLY shines on the Black Hippy remix, which is on a totally different level. I love all the verses, and always go back and forth on my favorite between Kendrick, Rock, and Q's second verse. Kanye easily has my least favorite verse of the two versions, but I understand why it's on the project and it is a great song on its own.

Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane (feat. Jadakiss)

MANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN OH MANNNNNNNNNNN this fucking SONG. I'll start by saying I was completely head over heels in love with the single version of Groovy Tony after anticipating it for months after he teased it on Instagram. The video is amazing. Everything about it was amazing. Then, when I heard through the album listening party Jadakiss was on Groovy Tony and not the second half, I lost my shit. And holy fuck, does he deliver. This entire song is absolutely incredible. From the disgusting, grimy, bass heavy beat by Tae Beast on the first half, to Q's disgusting, vile delivery with lyrics like

Punk-ass cops, them crackers want us with our black off

Thug life, nigga since '96 I wanted to gang bang

Few years later I'm really from it, we were still kids

Crack off nigga, I'm squeezing empty 'til the shell break

to Jadakiss' incredible feature, this first half is amazing. Jadakiss is simply put the best possible rapper they could have gotten for this track. He slides right into the Blank Face theme with some hard bars, like

Running with the rebels, it's a three-man weave with the Lord and the devil

Really all I need is a pitchfork and a shovel

If I can't proceed then I resort to the metal (Blank Face)

I could quote his entire verse. It's just so fucking good. I love the way he tackles the Blank Face concept. Then we get to what might be the best "moment" of the entire album, which is as Jadakiss ends his verse with

As I sit there while they interrogate me

I'm staring at 'em with the (Blank Face)

Eddie Kane kicks in, with a heavy, punchy, and powerful instrmuental. I'll never forget the first time I heard that transition. I was losing it. When I first saw the production credits for this project, I saw Dem Jointz was handling production on this song as was incredibly excited. His contributions to Compton were some of my favorite moments, ESPECIALLY Genocide, which is simply one of the hardest instrumentals I've ever heard in my entire life. One of my favorite beats ever. Needless to say, he does not disappoint in the slightest. This song is such a perfect complement to Groovy Tony, and just such a phenomenal moment in Q's discography. The rock influence comes through again on the contributions by Dem Jointz vocally and the parts he has, which really surprised me because I did not know he had that kind of musicianship. Q gives some amazing verses on this song, with some of my favorite lines of the entire project

Flip the work behind the campus

Young Groovy turn your hood into a movie (into a movie...)

Gang bang it, don't slang it

GTA-ing, shoot the whole club up

Fuck tryna sneak the K in, on the road to riches

Thank you Mister Reagan

You helped them dollars rake in

And to my uncle that fucked up the family

That shit that you was smokin'

I was pushin', residue lie on the cushion

I'ma blame it on your ass cause I ain't gettin' whoopings

And your proof is in the pudding

I'm just grandma's baby, Eddie Kane

Some really fucking visceral lines by Q. This song reached another level for me entirely when I learned who Eddie Kane actually was and the parallels drawn on this track between the two. Genius explains this the best, so I'll just quote them

This is a reference to the character Eddie Kane from the musical – drama film The Five Heartbeats, directed and co – written by Robert Townsend. In the film, Eddie Kane was one of the lead singers in a Motown/Soul inspired group titled The Five Heartbeats.

Eddie receives critical acclaim, wealth and fame with the group but eventually falls out by abusing drugs and inner demons. He later overcomes his demons.

In the first verse, Q draws parallels to Eddie's downfall, but as a wealthy and successful dope dealer who is met with an unfortunate collapse as cops arrest him.

In the second verse, Q continues to draw parallels to Kane by painting a portrait of his life – talent and potential hindered by hardship. However, much like Kane, he overcomes his demons in the end.

The hook is performed much like how Kane sang in the movie – an illuminating, raspy voice that could fill an entire arena.

Once I learned about that, and you put together all the pieces of this track, it becomes a totally different track. Not only is this entire song the strongest thing Q's ever done on every front, but it is hands down one of the best songs of 2016 and genuinely one of the best hiphop songs of the decade. I listen to this song all the time, and everytime is like the first time I heard it. This song is absolutely incredible.

Kno Ya Wrong (feat. Lance Skiiiwalker)

Q gives us a bit of reprieve here from the aggressiveness, with a smooth, lowkey jazz bar type of song where he sings and croons in an ODB style as he sing raps about how he earned his spot in the music industry and refers to the people asking him for handouts. I love the light piano and horns throughout this section. The track then transitions into the second half with Lance, with a really beautiful sampling of Summer Madness by Kool & The Gang, which is one of my all time favorites and when I recognized it on first listen, I was totally in love with this track. So tastefully done. Lance's feature here is really fucking great, and I love everything he brings to the table on this track. The hazy, lowkey, smooth psych rock instrumental is a great home for Lance's voice and he really brings his A game, which is sorely lacking on his solo material and some of his other features. This is where he really shines. Q's second verse, which is delivered in a more conventional rap style with some really lovely guitar wailing in the background. This whole track is yet another fantastic part of this album, where Q experiments with his musicianship and it really seriously pays off while being right in line with the sound and feel of the album. I would have no problems with him experimenting with this sound in the future if it runs concurrently with his more conventional rapping tracks. This style works so well for him, and I look forward to any Lance and Q collabs not named Toaster in the future.

Ride Out (feat. Vince Staples)

Wow. I anticipated this track for a long time after the Snapchat snippet, and it went above and beyond to meet my expectations. The beat is fucking disgusting. Sounwave made a grimy, dirty, heavy, Transformer esque fuckin knocker. Q's delivery on this is so aggressive and pairs really well with the beat, and is probably the rawest he's ever sounded. He has some amazing lines on this thing, like

Nigga's puttin' dicks inside your baby momma's momma's lips

Shootin' all the witnesses, it ain't no fuckin' murder scene

Crips don't fuck with Crips oh now it's jeans that look like the rival team

Wrong hat and shoes, put your ass on a forever dream

Heatin' up the summer 'til the winter fall, spring clean

He really ups the level of aggression and grime on his verses. I love how when the bridge is repeated right before Vince's part, he changes the last line from

Album four is really like, crippin on my minibike

to

Me and Vince, we crackin' like, crippin' in our afterlife

And then Vince comes in. Now, I am a ridiculously big Vince stan. But this verse is easily one of my favorite features he's ever done, only outmatched by Hive. He fucking destroys this track. His angry, harsh delivery matched with his cocky, "I'm better than you and I know it" arrogance he displays is just amazing. But by far my favorite moment on this whole track and easily one of my favorites on the album is when the beat drops out for a moment right as Vince says

And if that bitch can't make me rich, AIN'T NO NEED IN FUCKIN WITH HER

and it comes back in so disgusting and heavy and he finishes the thought off with

TURN AROUND AND FUCK HER SISTER, HEARD THAT BITCH GOT EBT

woooooo man. That shit gives me chills. I love Vince for moments like this, cus no one else says this kind of wild grimy shit like he does in the way he does it. The outro to this track is really great too, with that guitar wailing and everything. I seriously fucking love this song, and it's just YET ANOTHER phenomenal track on this project.

Whateva U Want

Ugh. First dud on the project. Candice Pillay has no place on this project, and while I enjoyed her contributions on Compton she really should never come near any TDE member ever again. That should be the closest she gets with Genocide, because that feature was great. This song is like some shit you hear in a compilation made by some 20 something from New Hampshire who went to Coachella with a Go Pro and mainly everything is in slo mo that he messages you on Facebook to watch and share with your friends and shit's got like 232 views and two dislikes and no likes and yall only got like one mutual friend and you just leave him on read. Q really should never make a song like this, cus this festival music bullshit really stands out negatively on this project. It is so obviously out of place in every way. And that shit Candice does on the outro, Jesus Christ. This song reminds me of Hell of a Night, which I despise. Please never again Q.

By Any Means

While I don't love this song on the level I do the first 6 tracks, I still think it's a pretty great song. Kendrick's background vocals are a great addition, and I love the flows Q utilizes on this (especially the callback to Fuck LA). It's catchy and a great addition to the album, and an obvious treat to fans of the kind of sound Q was going for on the more mellow tracks off Oxymoron. I also love the piano that slightly pops up in the outro, and kinda wish that was on the whole track.

Dope Dealer (feat. E-40)

Another favorite of mine from this project. Seriously, this song is amazing on all fronts. First, you have that beat, which is a great reimagining of Playa Hataz to a more modern version by Metro Boomin which suits Q perfectly. The sinister vibe it gives off is only complimented by Q, who talks his shit all over this track. The hook is constantly stuck in my head. His flow is impeccable, with great delivery on lines like

I got a sack of blue faces but my AR black

I got two bitches in my whip and they gon' hold my strap

I put the knife to the coca leaf and turn that crack

I put the nine to your coconut and pull that back

and

We talkin' cold watchin' hoes tellin' em that I keep

I get to swinging' on this chopper nigga, R.I.P

And then there's the E-40 feature. Now, I'm not 5'6'' 127 lb Caleb-Aiden-Bradley Miller from the suburbs of Washington who thinks E-40 is worthless and overrated and completely negates his legacy even though he has zero knowledge of his impact or context. I recognize his talent and legend status. And I am going to be honest here and say I really enjoy his input on this track. I remember Q saying he chose E-40 because E-40 is someone who actually was a dope dealer and has serious OG status, instead of some random rapper that did not have the status E-40 did. I love how he fits on the beat and I enjoy the way he sets his bars up. I think he makes a great addition. Overall, easily one of my most played tracks on the album. I also love Smacc's part and the outro to the song, which is infectious.

John Muir

Here we are. This song is fucking incredible, and easily sits alongside Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane as Q's best work. Sounwave is EASILY one of the best producers right now, and this instrumental is amazing. It sounds so unique and timeless. That horn that comes in really makes this entire track. The wobbling instrumental along with the live sounding drums and that fuckin horn just make such an amazing, unique instrumental. Q really makes this track one of his strongest ever recounting his youth (he went to John Muir Middle School). The way the hook comes in with the horn additions and vocal performances is so great. It just washes in. Another one of my favorite moments on this track is when Q goes

I was out here sellin dope at 14 what it do?

and the horn kicks in

I was out here fuckin hoes at 14 what it do?

I was ditchin class fifth grade, yeah I'm Groovy Q

The fact that Q freestyled this track is amazing. I love his delivery and cadence with these bars, it really gives the track so much character. All the elements to this track have such an amazing chemistry. I love the scratching towards the end, it makes a great addition and highlights the time Q is describing, with scratching being more popular when he was growing up. Although I am still very interested to hear the 50 Cent feature that was on this track that got replaced by the scratching that was said to be amazing, I still love this track so much. I think it works incredibly well as a personal solo track, and having a guest may have dampened the vibe slightly. However, I would still love to hear the version with 50. also wanna add the video for this is incredible.

Big Body (feat. Tha Dogg Pound)

This track comes out of nowhere, and with the lineup of production by Tyler and the history of their collabs, along with the feature, pretty much everyone was expecting a sequel to The Purge or an expansion of The Brown Stains. However, what comes out of this collab is amazing in its own right, even if it's sonically the polar opposite of The Purge. The funky, groovy, almost comical beat by Tyler along with the great verses by everyone. This tracks has a lot of character and I love the way it bounces and the hook. I especially love that little bass section that appears throughout the track, like when Q says "where the girls with the rump?". The little details of this track are the reason I love it so much. It is so fun to just throw on in the car and I love the side of Q it portrays. I love this song and its place on the album. Tha Dogg Pound feature is criminally short however.

Neva Change (feat. SZA)

Another great track where Q explores the cycle of the hood and the "stuck in the mud" type of feelings some feel there. He also explores police brutality and the rationale behind the types of actions that go on within the hood. SZA delivers a wonderful hook that reinforces this kind of "never change" mentality that Q explores. This is a great mellow track, with a smooth and lovely instrumental. I love Q's singing towards the back end of the track, and I love the addition to the album this presents.

Str8 Ballin

One of the most rock influenced tracks, Q explores making it in life given his upbringing and stance in society compared from then to now. Nez & Rio deliver a heavy, staccato type beat with strings that fits perfectly with the reflective, raw type of song Q aims for with this one. The hook is pretty much the most "rock" this album gets, with a guest vocalist who sounds like a random 90s rock band vocalist but it fits so well. I love Q's addition of "STRAIGHT BALLIN LIKE A BIYYAATCCH" throughout the track. He sounds raw on a lot of his bars, and the addition of this song to the album really helps to begin to wrap it up and reflect on Q's life vs then and now.

Black Thoughts

This track begins with one of Q's homies from jail talking about the tough upbringing people who come up in the hood have, which serves as a great intro to the track which Q spends his verses talking about the struggles of the black community and growing up in the hood, building to talking about preaching getting away from the gang life and focus on bigger more influential efforts. While some find this track redundant, I love that Q uses his music to implant these thoughts in the listener's mind and hear from such a celebrity to make a change in the black community for the better from the ground up, as direct as it is. He does this very well over a fluttery keyboard. I especially love the low end that comes in on the Kendrick hook, which is another great moment. This is a great track and placed very well in the project, shoutout to Kendrick for the order of the tracklist.

Blank Face

The self titled track. Finally, .Paak is credited. This is another really amazing moment on the project. After the more mellow, topical last few tracks .Paak delivers a fantastic feature over a building smooth beat where he builds along with it, ending his main part with some passionately delivered lyrics and referring back to the first track with

I trade the noise for a piece of divine

I savor my coins for a piece of the land

Something to pass while I'm passin' my prime

My word in the cards, full deck in my hand

As sure as the smog is pollutin' the land

Be what you wanna be as long as you get the money right

which serves as a segue into Q's verses where he talks about his daughter and how he hopes to be there for her before he dies. It's a really intimate moment on the tracklist, where it feels like Q and .Paak wrap up the themes and feelings explored on the project, with two passionate performances. As far as I'm concerned, this is the ending to the main album. This feels like the ending on pretty much every front. It's bittersweet and intimate.

Overtime (feat. Miguel & Justine Skye)

I don't have much to say about this song other than it shouldn't be on the project and fuck the Interscope reps who pushed Q to put this on the project, even if he says he eventually agreed with it being on there. It is what it is, a smooth R&B ballad that stands out as a bad part of the album but it doesn't really hurt the album, as it feels like a bonus track after the real closer. It is what it is mayneeee.

Tookie Knows II (feat. Traffic & TF)

This track feels like the credits to the album. Q and his friends deliver some great verses over a thumping piano instrumental. I think it fits really well as a sequel to Tookie Knows, which is a great track from Habits & Contradictions. And from what I've seen, everyone loves this when he performs it on tour. So I really enjoy this track.

All in all, I absolutely love this project. It is easily top 3 hiphop projects of last year, and Q's best work yet by far. Danny said him and Q bounced ideas off of each other, and it shows where Q experiments. The psych rock influence pays off so well, and all of the experimental shit Q plays with works very well on songs not named Overtime or Whateva U Want. I cannot sing enough praises of this project, because a 17 track, 73 minute runtime album with only two bad tracks and most of the others being incredible is amazing. Could he have cut those two off the project? Yes. Could he have expanded on the blank face concept more? Yes. But altogether, this project is amazing and I listen to it all the time. If I had to give it a number ranking, I'd give it between an 8.5-9. I really, really love this album and I hope if you didn't love it the first few times you heard it to revisit it. This album rewards repeated listens. I'm not gonna do a favorite lyrics section because I love soooo many lyrics on this thing. It would take up like half of this review.

Discussion Questions

• How do you feel about the cover art?

• Q has stated touring has given his a drive to go back into the studio and he has already been working on his next project. Where do you personally want him to go with his next project?

• What are some of your favorite moments on the album?

• Would you have wanted to hear the original draft of this album that Q stated was "depressed rap", or do you think it's best he chose to do this album differently?

• Where does this stack up in his discography for you?

• What do you wish he did differently, if anything?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgtEhp_lOe4

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Daily Discussion Thread 01/17/2017

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Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

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